The Danville Series by Cadillac Red Disclaimer: The characters of Fox Mulder, Dana Scully and Walter Skinner belong to 1013 Productions and I and will make no money from their use. Spoilers: Minor ones for the show. Setting: Sixth Season. Many details and characters come from previous stories in this series. Rating: PG. No discipline, no slash. Title: Above and Beyond Author: Cadillac Red Summary: The Assistant Director is sent on a mysterious mission and leaves Mulder in charge . . .! Above and Beyond Hoover Office Building Monday 1 p.m. Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner closed the file on the desk before him authoritatively and put it to the side of his desk. "Good work, Agents," he said, looking at Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder seated on the other side of the desk. "This was very well done." Scully gave him a satisfied nod then she and Mulder moved almost in unison, rising and beginning to head for the door. "One more thing before you go," Skinner spoke again and they both turned back. "I'm leaving on vacation first thing in the morning. I'll be gone a few weeks. In my absence, Section Chief Campbell will handle anything urgent. He'll be available if you need him." Scully and Mulder each reflected their surprise in their own way. Scully thought it was about time the man took more than a few days off in a row. He was almost as bad as Mulder about using his vacation time. Mulder, on the other hand, was contemplating the fact that Skinner hadn't even mentioned a planned vacation, let alone one that would last 'a few weeks!' "Well, have a wonderful vacation, sir," Scully said before turning back to the door. "Mulder?" the AD called him. "A moment, please." Scully looked back once more, gaining Mulder's attention for a split second. He nodded, and in that one, barely discernible move communicated he had no idea what this was about but wasn't worried. She relaxed and continued out, pulling the door closed behind her. Mulder returned to the A.D.'s desk and waited for Skinner to speak. "Mulder, I know I didn't tell you about this vacation before. It was a spur of the moment thing. . . . I'm going to Australia and I'll probably be gone three or four weeks. I . . . just want to make certain you keep your head down and go about your business while I'm away. Do you understand me?" Mulder's 'bullshit-meter' was dinging crazily. He nodded, keeping his expression neutral. "Where will you be going in 'Australia', sir?" he asked innocently. "I don't know. . . . I'll just play it by ear, I guess," Skinner said. Mulder nodded without expression. Skinner stopped his planned speech suddenly. He eyed the young man before him and made a decision. "Sit down, Mulder," he said firmly. "I . . . can't tell you much. In fact, I shouldn't be telling you anything at all but . . . I know you. And I don't want you digging into where I am or what I'm doing. I'm not able to tell you anything else--I've already breached--" Skinner sighed and looked toward the window. "I'm asking you-- no, I'm telling you that I'll be gone for three or four weeks on assignment. This is not something for you to share with anyone else. I'm telling you because I know your propensity to dig into things runs far afield of your actual assignments a good part of the time, Agent Mulder. And this is not an occasion for you to do that. Am I making myself absolutely clear?" "But, what exactly--" he started. "I'm not telling you anything else, Mulder," the AD said. "I probably won't be in contact while I'm gone, and Campbell will be covering for me so I'll expect you to behave. Don't do anything to embarrass me." Mulder took a deep breath, recognizing that Skinner was trying to end the conversation but refusing to yield. "You're not a field agent, sir, you're an Assistant Director. What kind of 'assignment' would--" "That's enough, Mulder," Skinner said with finality. "We will not discuss this any further." He looked at the young man and saw he was still dissatisfied. Adopting his most intimidating expression to try to quell further questions, he tried to judge whether he had miscalculated by telling Mulder as much as he did. But Skinner knew if he'd told Mulder the planned 'cover story' alone, the younger agent would have been on the case immediately. He had an unerring instinct for knowing when he wasn't being told everything and a compelling drive to get to whatever was being kept from him. Despite orders from his own superiors, Skinner knew this was the only possible way to keep Mulder at bay. But even this might not be enough. . . . He needed to be certain Mulder had no time or energy to focus on where Skinner was or what he was doing. "Mulder," he said suddenly. "Section Chief Campbell is already complaining about the additional workload this temporary arrangement will bring. I've changed my mind. I'm going to have you fill in for me instead. Campbell will back you up on anything that requires his signature or approval, but I'll expect you to keep things going on a day-to-day basis." Mulder's expression turned from frustration at being kept in the dark to shock, then terror at the prospect laid before him. "Oh, no! No, sir, I don't think. . . that is, I wouldn't--" he stammered. "I think it's the perfect solution, Agent Mulder," Skinner said sitting back in his chair. "You have only a few potential cases at the moment and none of them have anything urgent pending. Agent Scully is committed to teaching a few classes at the Academy next week, isn't she? So you can't have anything planned for out of town . . . ." He nodded his head, thinking that this was the perfect solution. This would keep Mulder so busy he wouldn't have time to think about anything else. He reached for the intercom and asked Kim to come in. "I'll dictate the memo notifying everyone of my decision immediately. Plan to spend the afternoon with me, Agent Mulder. I'll fill you in on everything pending for the next few weeks, we'll go over my calendar and commitments, and Kim will be here to help you through it as well. See you this afternoon, Agent Mulder." Mulder rose in a virtual trance and moved toward the door. He passed Kim without a word, walked through the outer reception area and somehow made it to the basement office, though he couldn't consciously remember taking one step between Skinner's office and his own. He sat down in his chair and leaned his head back. "Oh, shit," he finally said. Scully looked up at him from her computer. "What's wrong now, Mulder?" she asked. When she heard the news, she came very close to falling off her chair laughing. Mulder viewed her laughing fit without response, waiting a minute, even two for her to get the giggles under control. "Scully, this isn't exactly what I'd call a vote of confidence," he began, only to have her set off on another round of laughter. He sighed and laid his head on his desk. Mulder staggered home with several accordion files of work that evening. Having spent almost four hours with Skinner and Kim, his head was swimming with a tidal wave of administrative trivia that apparently made up about 90 percent of Skinner's job. Despite having worked for the man for nearly six years, Mulder realized he'd never really given any thought to what his job entailed, other than riding herd on Mulder and the X-files. And Mulder realized, he had actually fallen into the mistaken assumption that that role was the bulk of the A.D.'s responsibility. Logic aside, the truth was, he never really thought of Skinner as anyone else's boss, other than his and Scully's. Now it turned out that he, Mulder, would have to oversee the day to day operational needs of a dozen other department heads and several hundred field agents for the next few weeks. He collapsed on his couch in frustration and thought about chucking the whole thing and watching a video instead of reading the material he'd brought home. He had picked up the remote control when Skinner's parting words at the office reran in his head. "I'm counting on you, Agent Mulder," he had said. "Don't disappoint me." "Shit!" he spoke out loud to himself, tossing the remote and grabbing a folder. "So, what the hell are they up to over in Anti-Terrorism?" Blessed (or cursed!) as he was with a near photographic memory and the ability to digest and distill large amounts of information, he managed to wade through the four folders and stumbled off to bed at 1 a.m. armed with the data he needed to get through the next day. ***************************************************************** Office of the X-files Hoover Office Building Tuesday morning But perhaps not the administrative wherewithal. At 9:25 a.m., Skinner's assistant Kim showed up at the door to the X-files basement office, looking perturbed. "Agent Mulder," she said on entering. "What are you doing down here? People are waiting upstairs!" "I thought I'd work from here," he said little defensively. "The Assistant Director didn't say anything about me having to move into his office!" Scully watched this exchange and smiled to herself. She had wondered when someone would point out that he probably needed to relocate for the duration. "Well, I think he probably thought it was obvious!" Kim answered him, with just the slightest edge. "Sir!" Mulder opened his mouth to reply but Scully interrupted him first. "I think Kim's right, Mulder," she said. "We don't have the facilities down here for what you need to do. We don't even have a real guest chair!" "You don't have a waiting area, you don't have a conference table, you don't have the files. . . ." Kim continued her point. "Okay! Okay!" He grabbed his jacket and all four accordion files and headed for the door, with Kim on his heels. "AND you're already almost thirty minutes late for your first appointment. . . " Scully dropped by the A.D.'s office at 5:45. She hadn't heard from Mulder all day and had used the opportunity to have lunch with a friend from the lab and even run an errand before returning to work. In the relative peace and quiet of the basement, she'd been unusually productive and gotten about two days worth of work accomplished. Now she was ready to leave, at a reasonable time, something she was rarely able to do. But her conscience forced her to check on Mulder first. Kim looked frazzled at her desk in Skinner's outer office. She was on the phone with someone, apologizing. "We're very sorry to have to do this," she said to whoever was on the other end of the phone. "It's just that he's been running behind schedule all day and we don't want to hold you up any longer tonight. Perhaps tomorrow?" She had her fingers on the keyboard and was scanning the electronic calendar. "He's open at 10:30 or 4 o'clock, that's about it." Scully winced. Mulder hated to be scheduled all day. It wasn't his best work-style. It didn't give him time for the solitary thinking and ruminating that provided the fodder for his startling intuitive leaps. And he obviously never caught up all day today. That alone would put him in a black mood. She sat down to wait and the closed door to the inner office opened almost immediately. SAC Cantwell emerged, followed by two agents Scully had seen but didn't know personally. Cantwell looked annoyed and his agents confused, she thought. As they left, she jumped up and decided to stick her head in to say 'good night' to Mulder. He was sitting at the desk, his head in his hands, and didn't notice her approach. "Mulder?" she said quietly and he nearly jumped out of his chair. "Mulder! You're like a cat on a hot tin roof! Is it that bad?" she asked him, taking a seat in one of the guest chairs. "Scully, you don't have the time or the patience to listen to my troubles," he said before launching into a list of his troubles all the same. "It's like everyone in this building wants a piece of me, I'm scared to death to go to the men's room, people accost me and ask me questions I can't answer, try to get me to attend meetings I can't possibly fit into my schedule, ask me for resources I can't figure out how to get them . . . . It's no wonder Skinner has no hair!" Before he could continue, Kim entered and strode up to the desk. She stood next to him and began placing file folders in front of him. "Here's your schedule for tomorrow," she told him, slowly and very clearly, as though she were speaking to a child. "It begins very early, I had to schedule you for a 7:30 a.m. meeting to make up for one of the meetings we didn't quite fit in today. That meeting's here in this office, by the way." Scully watched him turn a little pink at that unnecessary instruction but he said nothing and she continued. "Everything else is clearly marked throughout the day, start times and end times, and your lunch meeting is in the building so I slotted in a 15 minute meeting with Agent Carney just before lunch. He waited all day to see you and never got in here." Mulder didn't bother to respond to this rebuke and she went on. "These are file folders with background on all of tomorrow's meetings, and this one has the agenda for the department heads meeting. I also gave you copies of minutes from the meetings for the last two months so you can get up to date on their open items. You haven't been to one of those meetings in years." He pressed his lips together and nodded wordlessly. "These financial reports need to be reviewed tonight. We should have responded on variances today but I called and told Accounting the report would be filed tomorrow. I also highlighted the variances that are large enough to require explanation . . . " She went on like that for another minute, then asked him if he needed anything before she left for the day. He shook his head and watched her leave, after wishing him and Scully a good night. He sighed and looked at Scully. "I learned one important thing today, Scully," he said evenly. "All these years, I think we've been working for Kim!" ********************************************************************** Office of Assistant Director Skinner Hoover Office Building Friday afternoon The week ended on the same kind of note, unfortunately. Kim had spent the four days with Mulder just trying to get him on schedule. He spent too much time in his meetings with other agents, immensely curious about some of their investigatory choices, usually asking them to go back and check things that hadn't occurred to them. She tried to tell him that was not his role (or rather Skinner's role) but it was obviously the one Mulder felt most comfortable with and, in fact, a number of those requests resulted in speedier or better resolutions to cases than might have been otherwise achieved. But he was unfailingly late for the administrative and management meetings he needed to attend, and Kim was embarrassed to receive phone calls from the Director's assistant and the Deputy Directors' assistants several times asking her to "find Agent Mulder." No one ever had to ask her to "find Assistant Director Skinner." He was always exactly where he should be. Mulder knew she was angry with him on Friday afternoon but he knew he needed her help to get through the rest of Skinner's absence. He needed to mend fences with Kim now; she was the only thing standing between him and unmitigated disaster, disaster Skinner would have no trouble uncovering when he returned. She came in at the end of the day to brief him on his Monday schedule and leave him the work he needed to review over the weekend. He listened actively to her recitation, nodding his head repeatedly. Finally, she nodded back at him and wished him a pleasant weekend. "Kim?" he called as she turned to leave. "I . . . I just wanted to say thanks. . . . for everything. I'll try to do better next week." She gave him a glorious smile, the first one he'd gotten all week, and returned to the desk. Reaching into Skinner's top right desk drawer, she pulled out his watch, the one with the alarm feature. "I've set it to remind you of all of your meetings starting Monday. It will beep 10 minutes before each one, enough time for you to wrap up whatever you're involved in," she said. "I'm sure that must be why Mr. Skinner left it behind." She winked at him and went on her way. Mulder watched her go and felt the first shred of confidence he'd had since Monday night. Then he looked down at the watch he was holding and frowned. Something wasn't right with this whole situation, his gut told him. Mulder took everything on the desk and shoved it into a file, then put it into the middle drawer. He was planning to come in over the weekend to get prepared for Monday. He'd deal with whatever it was then. He drove directly to Skinner's Crystal City apartment building where he greeted Carlos, the evening doorman, by name. Pretending that he'd promised Skinner he'd 'check on things while he was away,' he showed him the key he still had for Skinner's apartment and went up. The younger agent had spent a great deal of time with Skinner in the past two years and was as familiar with this place as his own apartment. Nothing looked out of the ordinary to Mulder. It was dark and neat, everything in its place. Mulder felt a little guilty about snooping around Skinner's house in his absence but his suspicion overrode his discomfort. Entering the master bedroom, he started rifling through the closet. Moving on to the drawers, he couldn't tell if anything was missing. He checked the bathroom and found Skinner's monogrammed shaving kit and travel bag still there. He toured the rest of the apartment but found nothing unusual. Finally, he walked into the spare bedroom, just to make the tour complete. This was the room Mulder used when he stayed there and he knew both he and Skinner had come to think of it as Mulder's room. Turning on the light, he saw it looked exactly the way it always did. Bed made, bookshelves arranged neatly. About to turn the light back out, he saw one exception, an envelope propped up next to the lamp on the night stand. Walking over to it, Mulder was surprised to see his own name written on it, scrawled in Skinner's heavy hand. He sat on the bed and began to read. Monday night You never listen, do you? it began. We'll discuss that when I get back. In the meantime, perhaps your predictability will work in our favor. Or perhaps your predictability is what they're counting on, I just don't know for sure, Mulder. I received orders from the very top of the Bureau to make myself available for an international task force looking into a number of unrelated incidents, including the recent abductions and mass incinerations that have taken place. A very low profile assignment, one I was told to discuss with no one. One of the first things they sent me to read, by the way, was a transcript of your remarks at that MIT conference. We can talk about making public pronouncements about suspected conspiracies in our government later as well. However, the point I want to make is that none of this adds up to anything that would normally involve an AD for this kind of time commitment and the fact is, many other people, including you, would be better qualified and more helpful to their purpose, whatever that is. My only connection to any of this is through you and Scully and the X-files. Hence, my suspicion that I was requested for those reasons alone. To co-opt me. Or to get me out of the way. It's not like they haven't tried both before. I am leaving for Africa tonight. I don't know why, I don't know exactly where, and I was told to bring nothing with me. The Task Force is apparently operating under the aegis of an obscure arm of the UN and we are to be bring nothing that might 'distract' us from our 'work.' Lastly, I believe I was followed home this evening and I also believe there's a smell of stale smoke here tonight -- that black-lunged bastard's involved here somehow, I just know it. Be careful. Keep this away from official channels. Since the Bureau assigned me, I don't know who's involved, if anyone, or whether they are being used, too. W.S.S. Mulder was stunned and he was sitting on the edge of the bed trying to digest this news when there was a sudden banging on Skinner's front door. He quickly stuffed the letter in his back pocket and grabbed a sweatshirt off of the armchair in the bedroom. Running to the front door, he started to ask who was there but the door burst open and three men, definitely federal agents or military, entered with their guns drawn. Mulder raised his hands to show he was unarmed and shouted at them. "What the hell is going on here?" "What are you doing here?" the oldest man shouted back at him. "Assistant Director Skinner is out of town." "I know that, I'm covering for him," Mulder yelled back. "Why did you bust in his front door, with guns drawn, huh? What the hell business is it of yours who visits his apartment?" "We were told to keep an eye on the apartment. . . . by AD Skinner. There have been some burglaries in the building lately," the leader said. He was obviously tap dancing, he had no idea why he was watching this apartment. "I think you should leave now, though." Mulder was immediately suspicious. But making a scene would only raise their suspicions further so he played the same card they were playing -- ignorance. Or in the case of these guys, maybe it was their only card. "Well, sorry, I didn't know he'd asked you to watch the place," Mulder said. "I just came by to pick up a sweatshirt I left here a while back. And a video that the AD said he'd lend me before he left on . . . vacation." He reached for a video that lay on top of the television and headed for the door. "You guys are gonna have to explain to the AD about this door," he couldn't resist adding as he left. "I don't envy you that 'discussion,' no I don't." He tried to remain casual as he strolled down the hallway and got in the waiting elevator. Pressing "Lobby," the doors closed and Mulder finally sighed in relief. He glanced down at the video he'd taken on the spur of the moment. "Deep Sea Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico." He dialed Scully the moment he got out of Skinner's parking lot and assured himself he wasn't being followed. "It's me," he said without waiting for a response. "Something's wrong with the 'vacation plans.' I can't explain what yet. Just meet me at our friends' place. And don't wear anything sexy . . . Melvin will be there." He disconnected, knowing he'd told her enough to get to where he needed her to be but not enough for anyone who might be listening to put it together. It was clear Skinner's apartment was bugged. Who knows what else they were watching or listening to? Then he drove over to the Lone Gunmen's offices, by a circuitous route that made him certain he could not have been followed. Scully was already there when he arrived. "What's up, Mulder?" Byers asked him immediately. "Scully was just filling us in on your new 'assignment!' We're impressed with your meteoric rise--" "Well don't be," he answered. "After this week, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm deposed any day now. . . . I'm just hoping it's a bloodless coup." He reached into his back pocket, pulled out Skinner's note and proceeded to fill them all in on his suspicions. A while later, the three Gunmen were working the phones and the Internet, trying to track Skinner's movements. They were simultaneously tapping into their intelligence network to see if anyone knew about this supposed 'Task Force,' and Mulder had tried his own UN contact with no success. Marita Covarrubias was out of the country and unreachable, he was told. Scully was researching the other incineration incidents and was surprised to learn the one she'd been involved in at Skyland Mountain was mirrored several times over around the world. But so far nothing turned up for anyone that pointed in a direction, any direction. They were all frustrated. By midnight, they were all fading and made a group decision to keep working whatever shreds they had tomorrow. But the weekend proved just as fruitless. Mulder worked all morning and most of the afternoon in Skinner's office getting prepared for his Monday schedule. Then he spent all of Saturday night and most of Sunday with the Gunmen but nothing led them anywhere. It was beginning to look like Skinner had disappeared off the face of the planet. By midnight Sunday night, everyone recognized that they had to stop until something more surfaced on its own. ********************************************************************** Conference Room Monday afternoon 3:00 p.m. Mulder had been surprised when he entered the room, on time, and found Section Chief Campbell not in attendance. This was the weekly meeting of department heads. Skinner usually ran it but in his absence the week before Campbell had done the honors. Mulder had been late last week anyway but he recognized Campbell thought it was his prerogative to chair the meeting and so the younger agent had just taken a seat on the side wall and listened for the most part. Today, however, Mulder was on time and actually prepared. She was definitely underemployed, and he hoped she stayed that way, at least until Skinner came back. "Oh, Agent Mulder," Ed Carney greeted him. "Section Chief Campbell asked me to tell you to start without him. He's held up with some emergency." Carney clapped him on the back, obviously recognizing his fear. "Don't worry, Agent Mulder," he said reassuringly, "we have nothing but status reports and personnel evaluations on the agenda today." Mulder relaxed just a little and gave Carney a sardonic smile. He had grown to respect the Special Agent who was in charge of orienting and training new staff. Carney had helped him out with some 'trouble' last year and since then the two very different men had developed a friendship of sorts. Despite the fact that Mulder was the better educated, generally recognized 'brilliant eccentric,' Carney actually had the upper hand on navigating the currents of the FBI's bureaucracy and he'd used his finely honed civil servant's instincts effectively several times when Mulder called on him for assistance. Including the prior week when he needed to muster some resources quickly to lend to another division in Skinner's absence. In return, Mulder had become Carney's back-up in helping him sort out some of the things his rookies came up with, particularly one kid named Delaney. Carney saw he was having trouble fitting in with the program but never failed to turn up things no one else even considered. So Carney brought those things to Mulder, recognizing he was out of his league trying to understand Delaney's thinking, let alone his actions. And Mulder found his respect for Carney grew yet again when Ed didn't try to shut the kid down just because his approach was a little out of the ordinary and his analytical skills were already more sophisticated than those of much more senior agents, including Carney. Mulder waited another minute for several more people to enter, then called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m. They wrapped up some open items quickly, then moved through status reports and onto some personnel issues. At 4:50 Mulder heard Skinner's watch alarm beep and saw with pleasure that he was actually still on schedule. Nothing left to do but wrap this up and move on to his 5:00 appointment, which was with Scully anyway. He waited for Carney to finish his utilization report then spoke. "Well, we're finished a few minutes early. If no one has anything else . . . " he paused for a second. "If everyone promises not to rat on me to the Assistant Director, I think we can all take a 5 minute break." His remark brought some easy laughter and then they all began to gather their things. The conference room door opened and Kim appeared to Mulder's surprise. He gave her an inquisitive look, immediately recognizing that she was upset. "I just got a call," she choked out. Now everyone had quieted and looking at her. Mulder got up and crossed to her, putting an arm on her back and helping her to a chair by the wall. "Are you okay, Kim?" he asked her quickly. "Do you want some water?" She shook her head and choked back another sob. "I just got a call about Assistant Director Skinner. His plane crashed this morning. . . . They said there were no survivors." ********************************************************************** Assistant Director Skinner's Office Monday evening 7:00 p.m. Mulder and Scully sat silently, each lost in private thoughts. Mulder had finally sent Kim home a while earlier, after her boyfriend came to escort her, and now he was waiting to hear from the Director's office. The Director himself had called Skinner's parents as soon as the news was confirmed. Mulder had followed up immediately with a personal call. Skinner's parents were like family to him now and he'd intended to offer them help and comfort. But in fact, the elder Skinners ended up comforting him, recognizing the depth of his loss as well. He found the wherewithal to ask if they needed anything and all they asked for were his prayers. He told them again how sorry he was and now here he was, doing something as close to praying as he ever got. Mulder was paralyzed with grief and fear and he stared, expressionless, at nothing at all. Wishing time would stop, then reverse itself, and he could stop Skinner from ever leaving the Hoover building ten days ago. A part of his brain was contemplating what to do next but no answer arose. He reread Skinner's last note to him, telling him his suspicions and cautioning him against using official Bureau channels. Did this event change that? Should he be telling the Director or the Deputy Director what Skinner suspected about this assignment? Or even that he knew Skinner wasn't actually on vacation. The plane that crashed was on an Australia to New Zealand hop. It fit in with the vacation cover story, but Skinner had told him in the note that he thought he was going to Africa. Mulder's mind was numb with grief at even the possibility that the AD was dead and he was unable to sort it out enough to determine his next move. Or even if there was a next move. "Mulder?" Ed Carney said, sticking his head in the door. Mulder and Scully were sitting at the conference table, Mulder being unable to sit behind Skinner's desk since hearing the news. Suddenly, it just felt wrong. People had been dropping by for the past several hours, all shocked and saddened by the news. Scully handled most of them; Mulder was too stunned to do more than stare into space. Carney entered with a younger agent, the one Mulder recognized as Sean Delaney. He introduced Delaney to Scully, then turned to Mulder. "I think you should hear something Agent Delaney just told me," he said. "Sir," Delaney began and Mulder felt an almost irresistible urge to look over his shoulder for the AD "I took a trip to Australia last summer, before I started at the Academy. I took one of those tours, it was a singles thing. You know, I wanted to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef, see the Outback, get lai--" He looked at Scully suddenly and veered in another verbal direction. "Anyway, they used the charter airline that crashed this morning, the one the Assistant Director was on. But the story doesn't make sense." Mulder sat forward in his chair and motioned for Carney and Delaney to sit. Then he told the younger agent to continue. "Well, first of all, the plane was filled with people on the same tour I took. Everyone on the plane was between 18 and 29 except the pilots. It's a round-the-clock party thing. It doesn't sound like the kind of thing the Assistant Director would join. . . . " He cleared his throat. "Not that I actually know him. . . .!" "We know him, Agent Delaney," Scully answered his questioning look. "It isn't the kind of thing he'd do." "Well anyway, the tour started out the Friday before the AD left. And this is not the kind of thing you join up along the way. So I called a girl I know at the tour agency. I got to know her when I booked my trip and she ended up joining the tour, too." His laughed nervously. "Anyway, long story, no happy ending. But the point is, she told me Skinner was actually booked on a flight to Sydney last Thursday! Leaving from New York. Four days after he supposedly left." "I knew it!" Mulder interjected. "I'll bet anything he wasn't on that flight! Scully, we need to get a photo of Skinner to the NY field office--" Carney interrupted him quickly. "Just listen to the rest of the story, Mulder," he said with a knowing smile. Delaney cleared his throat again and continued. "I sent a digitized photo of the Assistant Director to the girl at the tour agency and she got it to their people who checked everyone in for the flight to Sidney. No one recognized him. He never got on that flight, sir! And believe me, a bald guy in his mid-forties would have stood out in that crowd! . . . Oh! no offense!" he added looking from Mulder to Carney to Scully. All three of the older agents exchanged worried glances and Mulder ran his hands through his hair unconsciously before speaking. "Good work, Delaney!" he said standing. He paced for a moment, then made a spur of the moment decision. "I want to fill you both in on something," he began, "something you'll have to keep to yourselves for the moment . . . " ********************************************************************** Offices of the Lone Gunmen Tuesday morning 2:30 a.m. "Okay, what do we know?" Mulder asked the group. They recognized it was a rhetorical question, all except Delaney who got up and launched into a run-down of the facts as they understood them. Mulder gave Scully an amused glance and stepped back to lean against the wall. "We know the AD was NOT on the plane that crashed. But there are no survivors and the damage to the plane and the passengers is such that they may never be able to identify all the body parts, so it makes a good cover story. We don't know yet whether someone arranged for that plane to go down to provide the cover story, or whether it was a coincidence and someone just latched onto it when it happened to work to explain Skinner's disappearance. . . . or . . . . you know." They all knew and no one wanted to verbalize their fear that Skinner night actually be dead. Mulder cleared his throat. "But Skinner's cover story was a vacation in Australia so, it would be quite a coincidence if a plane just happened to go down there during this time," he interjected. "But not outside the probability curve, sir. . . . It might be what they call an 'extreme possibility.'" Mulder blinked and Scully had to stifle a small giggle but Delaney went on, oblivious to their exchange. "We know the AD thought he was going to Africa, and you guys," Delaney nodded his head to indicate the Lone Gunmen, "have triangulated the locations of all the UN projects we were able to uncover with military and private jet traffic over the two day period just after Mr. Skinner's departure." Delaney now pulled out several large maps of parts of Africa, specifically Ghana, Tunisia and Kenya. He placed them side by side on the table, then pulled out another series of maps. These turned out to be satellite photos. Mulder immediately grew concerned that Delaney's accessing these would tip their hand to the powers that be in the Bureau and he voiced his thoughts. "Oh, no problem, sir," Delaney assured him quickly. "I got these through a 'back-door' at the CIA." "You got these from the CIA?" Byers and Frohike both exclaimed. "How? We've been trying to tap into these since this afternoon." "I know a girl over there . . . and, well, let's just say she was happy to do the Bureau a favor," he said a little sheepishly. "I felt bad lying to her but it seemed like a worthy cause." "So basically, this chick's hot for you," Frohike smirked. Scully rolled her eyes and suggested they continue. Delaney continued his recitation, which included information gathered from several other 'sources' similar to the young lady at the CIA. All the data was vital to their needs, however. None of the satellite photos indicated any activity that tied, timing-wise, to his disappearance. "Although, there is some unusual activity in Tunisia, I can't quite figure out what's going on there, but my gut tells me the Assistant Director's not there," Delaney added as an afterthought. "You're pretty adept at reading satellite photos, Agent Delaney," Byers commented, finally voicing his suspicions. "Why is that? I'm sure satellite reconnaissance is not a standard class at the Academy." "Well, I've been doing a lot of work with the Anti-Terrorism Unit, whenever I have down-time," he explained, not at all insulted by the question. Mulder gave Carney a curious look. "I have to find him something to keep him busy," Carney whispered. "Otherwise, he drives me crazy!" "You never offered his services to the X-files," Mulder returned. "Yeah, right," Carney snorted. "Everyone knows you don't like anyone but you or Agent Scully to touch your stuff. People think you have the basement wired so you can tell if anyone even sets foot down there!" Mulder frowned but didn't respond. A common depression descended over the group as they all came to the conclusion they had no trail to follow, no lead to pursue to try to find out what happened to Skinner. Another dead end, more wasted time. "Maybe we approached this the wrong way," Mulder said finally. "Why would they tell him the truth about where he was going? I mean, he might tell someone." "Which he did," Scully added. "Exactly. He told me and they don't care because he's really somewhere else and we're just spinning our wheels concentrating on Africa." He turned to the Lone Gunmen. "What other UN task forces did you turn up?" They put their heads together and divided up the lot between the seven of them. It was already 3 a.m. and the beginning of a new work day was only hours away. Mulder 'assigned' Scully, Delaney and Carney to a 'special project' that would keep them all out of the office for a while. "What 'special project?'" Carney quizzed him, always a stickler for procedure. He knew Mulder would have to justify moving resources, probably to Section Chief Campbell. And Scully was committed to finishing a class at the Academy. It would be difficult for the AD in charge of Quantico to replace her and Mulder would have to face his wrath as well. "Oh, I don't know, I'll think of something," Mulder replied impatiently. He was already frustrated that keeping up the ruse would require him to stay in the office while all the real work was being done in the field. Not for the first time, he wondered how Skinner stood it. Driving to work the next morning, Mulder also began wondering about the Director's call to the Skinner family. The answer came to him immediately. They wouldn't. Turning that around in his head, he decided to work that angle from the inside while the others worked the external leads. "Kim," he called her when he heard her enter the outer office. She was teary-eyed and looked like she had gotten no sleep. "Can you get information about schedules of high-level bureau personnel, without letting anyone know you've asked for it?" She looked at him quizzically and sniffled. "Why . . why would you want that information?" she asked him. "I can't even believe you're here, or I'm here . . . when the Assistant Director just . . . " She began to cry softly and Mulder made another critical decision. He got up from the desk and closed the office door. Then he turned on a radio he'd brought from home this morning, loud, and ushered her over to the desk. Easing her into Skinner's chair, he knelt beside it, took her hand and began to whisper. "Kim, I'm not sure about any of this, so I have to trust you to keep what I'm going to tell you confidential," he began. Then he filled her in on as much as he knew. Her eyes dried right up and she immediately started to process his information needs in her head. "I can access schedules for all the management personnel," she said, "Assistant Directors, Deputy Directors and the Director can. And of course, their assistants. It's in the electronic calendar system." "Good, then you know what I need," he said, wanting to get her to work right away. "And, Kim, you're going to have to pretend you still think--" "I know," she said, then she paused before leaving. "We don't really know he's still alive, though, do we?" Mulder shook his head, swallowing down a ball of emotion he'd been holding at bay since he first heard the 'news.' "We-- we only know he didn't die in Australia . . . " She nodded and left, blowing her nose as she departed. Mulder looked at the stack of work on Skinner's desk and knew instantly he couldn't find the motivation to review paperwork today. Yet again, he found himself marveling at the Assistant Director's ability to compartmentalize. The younger agent had no such gift and he decided to distract himself by reviewing his own e-mail for the first time in over a week. He'd been so caught up in trying to keep Skinner's work on track, he hadn't even thought of accessing his own e-mail account. But now he hoped there might be something from the Gunmen, along with the other assorted odd communications and paranormal trivia that was sent to him from sources all over the world. Keeping up with it on a daily basis wasn't too much of a burden for him; he read quickly and had an aptitude for quickly assessing whether something needed to be read to the finish or could be trashed or filed for future reference. But now there was two weeks worth of this stuff. He checked first for the addresses that the Gunmen used and had nothing more recent than last week, something completely unrelated to the situation they now faced. There was another curious series of messages though, from a source he didn't recognize. He accessed the first message in chronological order. Agent Mulder -- The information you've been searching for can be yours for a price. Reply to this message and wait for instructions. He racked his brain trying to recall what he'd been working on before Skinner pulled him in to cover for him. Nothing major, but this must be related to one of those cases. He opened the second e-mail from the same address. Agent Mulder -- Perhaps I was too vague in my previous message, since you've chosen not to respond. I have information about your sister, information you will never get any other way. If you want to see her, you will not ignore this message. Respond now or risk never knowing the truth. His heart was racing. He wished Scully or Skinner were around to tell, to see if they agreed that he had to reply to this message, he had no choice. He quickly read the next two messages from this address. They were more hysterical in content, and more threatening if he failed to respond. He didn't bother to think any further. He hit the "Reply" button and typed: Sorry I've been off-line for a while. I want to hear what you have to tell me. Send instructions ASAP. -- Mulder Then he sat back and waited. In the meantime, Kim brought him the schedule information and he tried to concentrate on that crisis for the time being. The Director's schedule showed nothing unusual to Mulder's eye. He moved on to the three Deputy Directors. Nothing looked out of the ordinary there either. Then he moved through the schedules of the FBI's nine A.D.'s. Still nothing caught his attention. He checked his e-mail for a response, then decided to give the schedules another look. This time, something in Deputy Director Howard's schedule popped out at him. He'd taken five days of vacation, in London, the week before Skinner was 'assigned' to this task force. He asked Kim to see if she could get information on the DDS background, where he was from, schools he went to, did he have children, etc. She smiled at him and reached for his computer keyboard. "With an A.D.'s security clearance, you can access personnel records," she said bringing the information to his computer screen. "I knew that," he said, giving her a sidelong glance to see if she fell for it. She didn't. But the information confirmed what he suspected. Howard was not from London, neither was his wife. They had children who were of school age so a vacation at this time of the year seemed unlikely. "And anyway, who would go to London on vacation in March anyway? The weather is abysmal," he mused out loud. "I'm from London," Kim said, looking insulted. "Really? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean. . ." "Just kidding," she said, giving him a smile over her shoulder as she left to return to her desk. ********************************************************************** Aberdeen Municipal Airport Aberdeen, Maryland Tuesday afternoon In the meantime, Scully and Delaney had visited all of the airports that served private traffic within two hours of Washington, D.C., not a minor feat. They'd showed photos of the Assistant Director and gotten nowhere. Carney was working the military bases and Scully phoned him to see how he was doing. He was following procedures to the letter and working at a much slower pace, as a result. "Hello?" he answered. "Agent Carney here." "It's Scully," she said simply. "Any luck?" "I may have something," he said, getting excited. "I just spoke to someone who recognized the AD He says he boarded a military transport, along with about a dozen other people. The guy says it was a group of academics and some government types, like you'd expect from a U.N.-sponsored committee. And get this, it went to Turkey." "Turkey!" she exclaimed. "Get as much as you can, then we should meet back at our 'friends' offices." She snapped her phone shut and started for the car, calling back to Delaney. "Let's go!" "Is it lunch time already?" he said, breaking into a jog. "Good, because I love turkey!" ********************************************************************** Offices of the Lone Gunmen Friday afternoon 5 p.m. Scully had phoned Mulder from the car and told him what she knew. He waited a few more minutes to see if his mysterious correspondent sent him a return e-mail, then left for the offices of the Lone Gunmen. When he got there, everyone else had already arrived. Scully had phoned Byers from the car, too and he and the other guys had pored over the UN information once again, finding nothing going on in Turkey at the moment. But Byers had had a flash of insight and pulled some information from Interpol. That provided them with information about a 'task force on international terrorism' going on in Turkey and alluded to the fact that it was a 'joint venture' with the United Nations. Mulder filled them in on what he knew about Deputy Director Howard's 'vacation' in London and the fact that he'd phoned the airline Howard traveled on and confirmed that he traveled alone. He had also called Howard's home and pretended to be from the airline, checking on fishing gear they thought Mr. Howard might have left on the plane. Mrs. Howard laughed and told him that her husband had been in London 'on business' and certainly wouldn't have fishing equipment with him. "So we know he told the Bureau he was going on vacation and told his wife he was going on business," he finished. "Maybe he's got a little 'chickadee' on the side, Mulder," Frohike said. "It's been known to happen--even in Washington!" "Obviously you haven't met Deputy Director Howard," Mulder replied dryly. "But I still don't understand. What's in London?" Delaney finally asked him. "I don't know," Mulder replied. "Maybe you could start researching it. It's a big city, Delaney. . . you must have slept with somebody there!" And it turned out he had, several people in fact. One worked at the Times of London and used all of her sources to try to find out what Deputy Director Howard of the FBI had been doing in London, a place where he had no official jurisdiction. She got back to Delaney within an hour to tell him that the man had not stayed in London at all, but left on a private jet for another location, one she hadn't yet been able to pin down. Mulder seriously considered calling Phoebe Greene, an old lady friend of his, to ask for the assistance of Scotland Yard but he was unsure he could count on her keeping it an 'unofficial request.' With Phoebe, self-interest was always the greatest motivator and Mulder wasn't sure how keeping this news confidential would work for her. So he didn't make the call. His former flames, wouldn't prove to be as helpful to the case as Delaney's, it was clear. Delaney's London contact called back just as Skinner's assistant, Kim, was calling Mulder again. Delaney grinned and gave them all a thumbs up as he listened to her report the location to which DD Howard's place had gone. He mouthed the words 'Ankara, Turkey' while Mulder tried to watch him and listen to what Kim was urgently trying to tell him. "I told everyone you left ill," she whispered into the phone. "But Section Chief Campbell says he wants to speak to you by phone. He's angry, sir. What should I tell him?" "Tell him I turned my phone off and you can't reach me, okay?" he answered. "Tell him I said I'd be in tomorrow." "Will you be in tomorrow?" she asked him point blank. "I could tell you that," he replied, "but then I'd have to kill you. Hang tough, Kim." He shut the cell phone and turned to Scully. "No matter what happens now, I think we have to go to Turkey, it's our only lead." "And do what when we get there, Mulder?" she said with a hint of irritation. "We don't know where he went when he got to Turkey, do we? Should we just wander around calling his name and hope he answers?" "That's a lot of questions, Scully," he answered her, just as irritated. "I don't know but it's the only lead we have." "Too bad the Assistant Director isn't equipped with one of those 'transponder' units they're testing over in Anti-Terrorism," Delaney interjected from across the room. Mulder and Scully both turned to him in disbelief. He continued, oblivious to their unspoken communication. "They're really cool. They put the transponder in watches and jewelry, you'd never know it was even there. . . ." Finally, he noticed the expressions on Mulder and Scully's faces, then turned to see it mirrored in that of Carney and the Lone Gunmen. "Well, it was just a thought," he said, turning back to his computer. "Where was I?" Mulder said, turning back to Scully, then he stopped in mid-thought and looked over toward Delaney. "Did you say they put the transponder in watches?" "Yeah, and rings and--" "Skinner left his watch behind, in his desk drawer," Mulder said, holding up his left arm. "I've been wearing it because it has an alarm feature but I couldn't figure out why he didn't take it with him." Delaney jumped up and rushed over. "If he took one of the ones they're testing, it has a range of up to 200 miles," he said excitedly. Mulder nodded, looking just as excited as the kid. "Byers, see if you can book us four tickets for Ankara, Turkey," he said "and here's the hard part, not in our real names." Packing a few things to take with him an hour later, Mulder logged into his e-mail account from home. His heart dropped when he saw another message from the mysterious informant. He opened it as fast as his shaking hands could move: Agent Mulder -- if you want to see your sister again, you must be in Maine tomorrow. Stay at the Alta Vista Motor Lodge in Crandall, just off I-78. You will be contacted by phone tomorrow. Come alone and do not tell anyone about this message. Do not fail to comply. You will see her tomorrow night. This is your only chance. He reminded himself to breathe, sitting at the computer screen, staring at the words. Words that promised everything he'd wanted for the past 25 years, everything he'd worked for. He dropped his head, struggling with what to do next. He made his choice. Quickly accessing the New England Airline web page to check on a flight, he found there was one within the hour from Dulles. He entered his credit card information and started to book himself on a flight to Portland. His cell phone trilled and he flipped it open with one hand, continuing to type with the other. "Hi, Mulder, it's Joe," a familiar voice spoke. "I just wanted to give you a call -- see how you're doing, kid." Mulder was chilled by the familiar timbre of the voice. He'd never really taken note before of how much Joe Skinner sounded like his older brother before. A wave of emotion rolled over him and he struggled to find his own voice. "I'm okay, Joe. How are you? And . . . everyone," he asked quietly. "The folks are holding up," he replied. "They're amazingly strong. But I guess they're still in shock, too. We all are. We're starting to plan a service. But it's so hard, without a . . . ," he stopped and Mulder knew he didn't want to say the word 'body' in connection with his brother. "We'd like you to do a reading, Mulder. If you'd be willing--" Mulder found himself overwhelmed by the quiet grief in Joe's words, and the way the other man was reaching out to Mulder, including him. A desire to offer some hope, even just the shred Mulder himself still held, rose in his heart. Before he could speak, though, Joe continued. "Are you planning to come up to Danville?" Joe asked. "I think my parents would like to see you. And . . . you should be here, Mulder. Walter gave me a letter a while back, a couple of months ago. Something he didn't want me to open unless something happened to him. I don't know what got him thinking that way but. . . . " Mulder bowed his head and bit down on his lower lip, remembering exactly what had driven the Assistant Director to write the letter. A few months ago, Skinner had almost died after being infected with something. That brush with death had shaken the other man to his core. "Anyway," Joe went on, "I opened it this morning. There are some instructions and stuff. But he said he's gonna come back and . . . haunt me if I let you drift away from the family, Mulder," Joe said with just a hint of his normal humor. "So, don't think you're a free man now--" Tears sprang to the young FBI agent's eyes and he sniffed once, trying to hold on. "I can't come right now, Joe," he said softly, feeling overwhelmed by the decision before him. Which commitment took precedence? He'd been searching for Samantha for so long, and his mother still grieved her loss. If there was a chance he could relieve her pain. . . . A part of him knew Scully and the others could find Skinner without him, if the AD was alive, as they suspected. Then again, he owed the Skinner family so much, he should be with them, if their son was really gone, give them whatever comfort he could in return for everything they'd given him. His mind raced with indecision and emotional turmoil. Finally, he closed his eyes and thought about what the Assistant Director would do. What decision would he make? Mulder wasn't certain but he trusted that Joe would know. "Joe, I don't want to get anyone's hopes up," he said suddenly. "I'm not sure, but . . . I don't believe he was on that plane that crashed." "He wasn't? What makes you think that?" Joe asked, shock apparent in his voice. "Well, there are a lot of things but I'm fairly certain he didn't die in that crash. What I'm less certain of is whether he's . . . alive," Mulder said, not wanting to hold out too much hope. "I was about to leave to see if I can find out where he really went. We've got some evidence that indicates he might have gone to Turkey--" "Turkey? Why?" "In connection with a case, or a task force of some kind. Australia was just the cover story," Mulder finished, knowing that, at some point in the conversation he'd made his decision about what to do. He owed Skinner and his family so much, there was no other decision possible. He hit the 'cancel' button on the New England Airlines reservation form and logged off. "I was just leaving, to go check it out, Joe. And I just wanted you to know. I don't know whether you should tell the family. . . . " "Keep in touch with me, Mulder," Joe said firmly. "I'll play it by ear here, but I want to hear from you." Mulder was struck again by the similarity between Joe and his brother. "Yes, sir," he said with a small smile. "I'll be in touch as soon as I know anything." Mulder, Scully, Carney and Delaney flew direct to Munich, then laid over for two hours and flew on to Ankara, arriving the next morning. The Lone Gunmen had booked them with aliases and used a couple of connections to help them get set up once they were there. They had hooked them up with an interpreter who was able to ascertain from airport personnel that the U.S. military transport had arrived almost two weeks earlier and that the people on it had been transferred to buses and taken south. Their witness didn't know where, but he knew they were going into the mountains from the bus driver's complaints about the trip down and navigating the steep, winding roads. The four FBI agents rented a car and headed south. They drove for an hour before stopping in a small town for food, water and petrol. While the others were getting some food and stretching their legs, Mulder managed to find a telephone center to call the Lone Gunmen. They had arranged for him to be able to call a contact in Ankara, who would patch him through to the guys whenever he needed to call. Pay telephones in Turkey were a hit or miss proposition outside the major cities. "It's me. Got anything new?" he asked cryptically when Byers answered. "Well, they've released an official statement about Skinner's death. Seems the Bureau is convinced he died in that crash. Apparently his passport, wallet and some other personal effects were retrieved, including his monogrammed shaving kit and his monogrammed briefcase." "What? I saw his shaving kit at his apartment the other day--" "Yeah, Mulder. We already figured this was just too coincidental. They've got nothing but body parts and ashes, except everything one guy was carrying on him and in his luggage was recovered intact." "My grandmother could set up a better cover story!" Langly weighed in from another extension. "We have a little more information about where Skinner might be, Mulder," Byers continued. "Satellite photos of Turkey last week show some strange activity in around Cappadoccia . It's an area of soft, lava rock formations, with caves and actual cities built into it. Several large trucks arrived over several days, then some military and civilian vehicles, including a bus on Friday, the day the military transport arrived in Ankara." "Good work," Mulder told them, pulling open a map he was carrying to see if he could locate Capppadocia. "Anything else?" "No, except the UN isn't claiming this operation, Mulder. And Interpol says their task force finished its work last week. Something's not holding together here," Byers said finally. "I hope you're not walking into an ambush." "Me, too. Thanks, guys," he said, disconnecting as Scully approached him with a bottle of water. She did not look happy. "There’s a Turkish coffee house across the street, Mulder," she said. "Unfortunately, they have a 'men only' rule. . . . Carney and Delaney are checking it out. You may want to do the same. . . ." "Do I look like I've got a death wish, Scully?" he asked, taking the bottle of water out of her hand. Of course it wasn't cold. When they did arrive, though, they had coffee for Mulder and Scully and she decided not to voice her displeasure, reasoning that they were not responsible for the local culture. They were responsible for their choice to enter and she was still a little peeved about that, though. Mulder filled them all in on what they knew and the fact that they were less than 2 hours from Capppadocia, the location of the unusual activity Byers mentioned. Delaney ran back to their car to get the locator unit set up, realizing that the AD might actually be within range already. The other three agents conferred about their plans and then went to meet him. "I've got a weak signal," Delaney told them excitedly. "It's so weak, it's possible that it's something else, but . . . out here, in a country with minimal technology, I don't know what it might be." "Let's follow the road to Capppadocia and see if the signal gets stronger," Mulder suggested. If it doesn't, we'll have to make a decision about which lead to follow." "We might have to split up and go in two directions," Delaney said. Before he could finish the thought, Carney cut in. "I don't think that's a very good idea," he blurted. "We're already way outside the regs here. We have no authorization to be here, the Bureau has no jurisdiction outside the U.S.--" "We know! We heard you loud and clear about that, all 23 times!" Mulder interrupted back, trying to remember they were all exhausted from traveling for almost two days. "Let's not get started on that again!" He was trying not to sound impatient with the other agent but failed totally. Then he turned to Delaney. "And let me say for the record, splitting up's not an option. Agent Carney's right, we're in unknown territory here. We stay together!" They drove for a half hour before the signal started to get stronger. That change put an end to the irritation that had descended over all of them and they began to think there might be hope. Entering the area that led to Capppadocia, they stopped at a tourist center and picked up some information. Mulder actually already knew a little about the area, already. He told them it was where Byzantine Christians had retreated into the mountains for protection from the invading Ottoman empire, constructing entire villages within the soft lava rock. But Scully read more about it out loud to them as they drove and they were all impressed and awed by the surreal landscape that lay before them. As they approached the town of Avanos, though, they ran into some trouble. Turkish army trucks were lined up across the road, stopping all traffic at a roadblock. Slowing to a crawl behind several other cars and a truck filled with chickens, Mulder turned to Scully and the others. "We go with the 'we're tourists,' story," he said unnecessarily. "We don't want to tip our hand to anyone, agreed? And Delaney, pack up that locator unit now!" They all agreed, and when they were stopped at the roadblock, they told that story, with Mulder embellishing it off the top of his head with details about being teachers on holiday, satisfying their interest in archaeology and history. The other three nodded at the Turkish officer who didn't seem at all interested in their story. He waved them through with his automatic rifle. "Did you see the two officers off to the side?" Mulder asked quietly as they began to pick up speed. "They were wearing non-descript uniforms, like the ones the UN forces wear. From their haircuts and watches, I'd say they were definitely American." Scully and Carney were both impressed by the level of detail he'd gotten while spinning that yarn for the Turkish army officer. But Delaney cut in enthusiastically. "And they were speaking English to each other," he said. "I watched their lips. I'm pretty sure one of them noted that we were Americans and asked the other to get information from the Turks after we left." Scully exchanged a look of amusement with Ed Carney. It was beginning to look like Agent's Mulder and Delaney were cut from the same cloth -- irregular though it may be! They decided to find a place to stay in Avanos. Delaney uncovered the locator unit and turned it back on and they were all thrilled to see the signal even stronger. After showering and getting their bearings, they decided to do some hiking in the hills. Tourists on holiday might very well want to hike through the unusual countryside. Delaney put the locator in his backpack and they began their trek, stopping multiple times so the younger agent could triangulate the signal. All of their hearts were overjoyed when the signal grew so strong, it could be nothing but the Assistant Director. "Or his watch," Carney added, seeking to restrain their enthusiasm a little. It wouldn't do for them to get their hopes up too high. His remark had the desired effect and the others muted their reactions and got back down to the job at hand. Mulder lowered the binoculars he'd been using and told them he'd spotted yet another black car coming down a mountain road above them. "That's the third one I've seen and they look like government vehicles to me. In every country, the government uses the ugliest, most non-descript cars." "Well, ugly or not, it does seem that most people out this way would have more utilitarian vehicles, trucks or jeeps of some kind," Scully answered. "Cars like that do seem out of place." They decided to hike up the trail to where the cars seemed to have come from. And when they got there, they knew for sure they were on to something. In a clearing just above the roadway there were a half dozen military vehicles, as well as two more black cars. People were milling around as the trucks were loaded with equipment. Mulder, Scully, Carney and Delaney held back, watching the activity from behind some scrub bushes a couple of hundred yards away. They could see some men in suits, definitely government or political types, talking to each other and someone who was an officer of some rank. The rest of the soldiers were hard at work, moving files and equipment out of the cave and boxes back into it. When they finished loading a truck, it drove off. Soon, the suited men got in the two black cars and began the descent along the mountain road. "Well, whatever's going on, they're moving out, that's for sure," Delaney said unnecessarily. "And I haven't seen the Assistant Director yet." "And I have a feeling we're not gonna see him," Mulder answered. "Not unless we get inside, to whatever's in the cave." "How are we going to do that?" Carney asked anxiously. "Unless we wait for them to leave." "We can't wait for them to leave," Mulder replied succinctly. "Those boxes that are being moved into the cave? They're some kind of explosives." "What?" Scully, and Carney both chorused at once. Delaney merely nodded. He'd noted the symbols on the side of the boxes going in too. "How are we going to get inside? The are a dozen or more soldiers in front of the entrance," Scully added. "And the place may be about to explode!" Carney finished the thought. Mulder shook his head and sat back. He was thinking as fast as he could, but exhaustion and the emotional roller-coaster of the last two days, and weeks, were taking a toll on his thought processes. "I-- I think we just have to try to bullshit our way in. They can't be planning to blow the place until everyone's clear. They keep sending the trucks off as they get them loaded. When they get down to one truck, we'll have to try something." "We're dressed like hikers. Why don't we just 'stumble across' this clearing?" Delaney asked. "Then we'll have to see if we can overpower the soldiers. . . " "How likely is it we can 'overpower' half a dozen armed soldiers, Agent Delaney?" Scully responded as kindly as she could. The kid's enthusiasm outweighed his sense, it seemed. "We're not unarmed, Scully," Mulder cut in, shouldering his backpack off and opening it. "The interpreter the Gunmen set us up with in Ankara gave me these." He pulled out four weapons, automatic pistols, and ammunition to go with them. Scully's eyes widened. The implications of the situation did not escape her. They were four Americans, FBI agents, with no jurisdiction in Turkey and no right to be carrying firearms here. And they were about to use the weapons against Turkish and possibly UN military forces. "Mulder. Are you out of your mind? We can't--" "What choice do we have, Scully? Skinner may be in there," he answered as he loaded his weapon and slipped it into the waistband of his jeans, letting his shirt fall down over it. "And it doesn't look like we've got time to debate this." He jerked his head in the direction of the clearing, where two more trucks were pulling out. "One truck left. After it's gone . . . BOOM!" The other three agents merely stared at him, each lost in his own thoughts about the precariousness of their situation. Mulder held out a pistol and Delaney immediately took it and began loading it. He held out another, and this time Scully reacted first, grabbing it and some ammunition. Mulder picked up the fourth pistol and looked at Carney. "Well, there goes my pension," the other man said resignedly, taking it and following suit. Mulder laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Ed, really, I wouldn't worry about that. It's our life insurance policies that are likely to be paying out when this is over." Scully rolled her eyes. From long experience she knew that, for Mulder, black humor was often the tension reliever that helped him cope with situations like the one they faced. But Carney, on the other hand, blanched and looked like he was about to be ill. "Don't pay any attention to him, Ed," she said reassuringly. "I don't and it's worked out well for six years." Mulder took out his map and unfolded it to its full, nearly unmanageable size. Then he threw his backpack over one shoulder and started out into the clearing, followed by the other three. "I don't know," he said rather loudly. "I think it's this way. . . " He kept his head buried in the map, ignoring a shout from one of the soldiers, until the barrel of a rifle came up over the edge of the map. "What the--?" Mulder gasped, pretending to be shocked. The soldier said something in Turkish and Mulder exaggeratedly conveyed his lack of understanding. Scully found herself choking back a smile. "We're just tourists," he was saying, enunciating very clearly as though that would help the Turk understand him. "We're looking for the cave with the hieroglyphics. . . . " He pointed at a place on the map, trying to draw the attention of a couple of the soldiers away from them and to the paper he held. Another soldier appeared out of the cave, this one an officer, and he wasn't wearing a Turkish uniform. "What's going on here?" he demanded in English. He was definitely an American. "Thank God! Someone who speaks English," Mulder said, again with more feeling than Scully thought necessary. "We're looking for this cave. It has some historical significance. . . " "Well, it's not here," the other man cut him off. "And you shouldn't be either! Move along, now!" "Well, what's the big hurry?" Mulder replied nonchalantly. "What are you guys doing here anyway? Does the U.S. have operations here? We're American citizens. We have a right to know--" The other man's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You have a right to know nothing, Mister. This is a classified operation and just being here puts you in danger. Now move it out--" His words were cut off as Delaney suddenly reached out and grabbed the rifle from the soldier next to him. He trained it on the soldier and stepped back while Scully, Carney and Mulder pulled their weapons and immobilized the others. "Good work, Delaney," Mulder said. "But you were supposed to wait for my signal. . . " "I just thought we were gonna miss the opportunity," Delaney replied matter-of-factly as they herded the group into the cave and began tying them up with rope Carney found in the truck. Then they gagged them all and pushed them into a sitting position, securing them together to the crates of explosives they'd left there. Mulder watched them all, particularly the American, for their reactions. The panic in their eyes confirmed his worst fears. He was certain the cave was pre-rigged to explode . . . Delaney had wandered further into the cave and he shouted back. "Hey! There's a big, iron door in here! And some kind of hallways stretching out behind it!" The four FBI agents made their way into the facility. It turned out to be a modern underground shelter of some kind, painstakingly built below an ancient cave. The place seemed to be deserted, though and they began to canvass it, room by room. Finally, at the end of a very long hallway, they saw a guard posted outside a set of double doors. Mulder decided to take the lead, reasoning that balls had gotten them this far, it might be enough to get them the rest of the way. "Hi," he said airily as he walked up to the guard. "I'm looking for Walter Skinner. Is he in there?" The guard blinked in confusion. "You're-- you're not supposed to be here! Who are you?" Mulder grabbed his rifle, a move he'd picked up from Delaney a few minutes earlier. The guard began to fight back but Scully was right behind Mulder, with her gun pointed at the man's head. "I wouldn't if I were you," she said calmly. Mulder signaled Carney to keep an eye on the guard while he, Scully and Delaney prepared to enter the room. "On my count," he said to the others. "One, two, three!" He kicked the door in and burst into the room, followed by Scully and Delaney, their guns drawn and ready to shoot anything that moved. A half dozen people were sitting around a conference table, languidly viewing a presentation on a large screen at the end of the room. One of them was Marita Covarrubias. And another was Assistant Director Skinner. Who morphed instantly from a posture of complete and total boredom to one of surprised outrage. "Mulder? What the hell-- " he sputtered. "Scully? . . . Delaney? . . ." His eyes scanned the three of them, then came to rest on the fourth person, peeking in from the doorway. "Agent Carney?" he added, disbelief underscoring every syllable. "Have you people lost your minds?" The others around the table began babbling, in several different languages, and the man standing at the front of the room who had apparently been speaking, started yelling at Skinner, in a clipped, British accent. "What is the meaning of this, Assistant Director Skinner? Do you know these people?" Mulder interrupted them all. "Sir, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but . . . I think this whole place is gonna blow up any minute. We need to get everyone out, now!" Skinner saw he was serious. His professional and personal relationship with Mulder had given him a healthy respect for the other agent's judgment and he went into command mode instantly. Ignoring the screaming Englishman at the front of the room, he calmly told the others to 'follow my agents out of the facility, immediately!' Scully and Carney led the way, with Mulder and Delaney bringing up the rear. The emergency lights in the hallway began to blink and they all broke into a run, following Carney and Scully to the massive iron door and out into the cave. The others ran by the tied up soldiers and out into the clearing. "Get as far away as you can!" Carney shouted to them as he, Scully, Mulder and Skinner began lifting the soldiers to their feet and ushering them out of the cave as well. Once outside, Skinner instructed Carney to move the truck as far down the hill as possible, as the AD jogged after the others to the opposite side of the clearing. He looked back over his shoulder to see Mulder had come to a stop in the clearing, looking back at the cave. "Mulder! Let's go! Now!" "Where's Delaney?" Mulder shouted back at him. "I didn't see him come out of the cave! Did you?" He began to move back toward the mouth of the cave. Skinner looked around frantically now. "He must have passed us. We told everyone to get out!" Mulder was shaking his head. "I didn't see him go by! I would have noticed. . . " He took a few steps back toward the cave, only to find Skinner's hand clamped on his arm. "We don't have time, Mulder--" he screamed just as the cave exploded. Skinner pulled Mulder to the ground and threw himself on top of the younger agent as the force of the explosion rained rocks and debris down on top of them. It seemed like an eternity as the two men took the brunt of the explosion but in less than 30 seconds it was all over. Scully ran out to check on them and found them both alive but bleeding from multiple abrasions and stunned by the strength of the explosion that had rolled over them moments before. The local military and police were on the scene in minutes and medical personnel and supplies followed almost immediately. Scully went into doctor mode, checking Mulder and Skinner for any serious injuries before moving on to the others. The soldiers who'd left in the trucks before did not return, and those who came were completely shocked by the explosion, and the fact that they found the scientists and others from the task force there. They'd been unaware the underground facility even existed. Skinner took over liaison with the locals and contacted the American Embassy immediately. He was shocked to hear he'd been declared dead and called the Bureau as soon as he was over the stunning revelation. He'd been sending regular dispatches on the task force to the Bureau, or at least he thought they'd been transmitted. It was galling to learn his participation in this task force, however useless it had seemed in the two weeks he'd been there, had all been a ruse to get him out of the way -- permanently, it seemed. He wanted his family and the people at headquarters to know he was alive and well. Even if someone, somewhere, hadn't meant for that to be the case. He also heard from the Director that DD Howard had disappeared and was presumed dead. Things at the Hoover Building were in a state of chaos, the Director said. "How long before you get back here, Walt?" Mulder sat alone, on a rock, stunned by the reality of what had just occurred. They found Skinner alive. In his heart, he was as overjoyed as the day he heard Scully's cancer was in remission. But he was heartsick that they'd lost Delaney and felt the heavy weight of responsibility for involving the kid in this situation. It was an abominably high price to pay for something-- "Hi," Sean Delaney said casually, as he walked out of the bushes next to Mulder, carrying a large box stuffed to overflowing with papers and computer disks. Mulder's mouth opened in shock. Scully and Carney shouted exuberantly and Skinner bounded over from where he'd been in consultation with the local authorities. "Delaney? You-- you're alive--," Mulder sputtered. "Where the hell have you been?" "I went back to get some of the stuff in the room. I figured we didn't want to lose whatever evidence was there. Then the lights started blinking and I was afraid I didn't have time to get all the way out by the route we came. So I started looking for another way out. There was a 'back door' but it left me all the way on the other side of the mountain--" Mulder crossed the distance to him in two strides. "Are you out of your fucking mind? You went back for PAPERS! Without telling anyone? Why do you think we have rules about these things? Just so you can ignore them?" He reached out and shook the younger agent violently. "You think those rules exist for your amusement or something, Delaney? I've got half a mind to--" Scully and Skinner exchanged a brief look of amusement at the words coming from Mulder, words neither of them had ever expected, or even hoped, to hear out of his mouth. "Not now, Mulder," Skinner broke in, pulling him back. "We've got a long trip home. And you can spend all of it giving Agent Delaney the benefit of your extensive knowledge on this very subject." The next hours passed in a blur. The American Ambassador was not happy to hear federal agents had snack into the country, using false identification, and engaged a combined Turkish/U.N. military force. However, he was just as unhappy to hear there were American forces there at all, without his knowledge. And even less happy not to be able to find out who had ordered them there. After blowing a gasket about the entire situation, he finally agreed to arrange military transport back to the U.S. for the five FBI agents. They left without clearing local immigration or customs, since they'd entered illegally. And Skinner confiscated the false identity papers as soon as they were airborne. He was amazed at the quality of the work and asked Scully where they'd come from. "The Lone Gunmen," she replied with a ghost of a smile. "Frightening, isn't it?" "I'm beginning to think we should have these guys on the payroll, Scully," he answered, shaking his head. They both leaned back in their seats, determined to get some sleep on the long trip back. Skinner found himself smiling as he drifted off, listening to poor Agent Delaney in the seat in front of him, getting an earful from Mulder about being reckless and irresponsible, about ditching the others, without permission and without notifying anyone what he was up to. He was certain he was hearing his own words repeated, things he'd said to Mulder over the years, replayed now for the benefit of young Agent Delaney. The AD was amused by the fact that the exceedingly self-righteous Agent Mulder didn't appear to appreciate the irony of the situation or even recognize the fact he'd been on the receiving end of the kind of single-minded, 'damn the consequences' behavior he'd spent a career perfecting. Skinner felt himself drifting off to the thought that there'd be plenty of time to point that out to Mulder later. ********************************************************************** Office of Assistant Director Skinner Washington, D.C. Friday morning Special Agents Mulder, Scully, Delaney and Carney stood in a line in front of AD Skinner's desk, nearly at attention. They'd been silently listening to the Assistant Director ream them for nearly ten minutes, mutely absorbing his rebukes for the litany of offenses they'd committed in the preceding days. Lying to the Bureau about where they were going, and what they were doing. Using falsified passports and identity papers. Carrying firearms in a foreign country, a country in which they had no jurisdiction and which they had entered illegally. Failing to notify the authorities or the American Embassy of their presence or their intentions. Accessing classified, top-secret satellite photos and reconnaissance data from the CIA through back-door channels. Without the knowledge or approval of the FBI. On and on it went, with the AD skipping no detail, no matter how minute or inconsequential. Carney looked as if he might pass out, and Delaney didn't appear to be faring much better. Scully kept up her usual stoic front and Mulder . . . Mulder's face registered the full spectrum of his emotions, from outraged indignation to bone-deep fear that, under his faulty leadership, they would all end up being fired. He opened his mouth to speak several times, and each time he was quelled by a look from the AD that instantly shut down whatever response he contemplated. Finally, Skinner seemed to run out of steam. He paused and a tense silence fell over the office. He was in shirtsleeves, with his cuffs rolled up to his forearms and his hands characteristically moved to rest on his hips as he took a deep breath. "If anyone asks, Agents," he said quietly, "you should consider yourselves officially reprimanded. Now, on a personal note . . . I want to thank you all . . . for your courage and your tenacity in the face of great odds. Each of you performed above and beyond the call of duty, and my official commendation will be placed in your files. But that can't possibly express my personal gratitude . . . " He stuck his hand out to Agent Carney, who was so stunned, he failed to respond in kind. Skinner reached over and grabbed his hand, pumping it once and thanking him again. Then he moved on to Delaney. "Agent Delaney, you have distinguished yourself in another way," Skinner told him with a smile. "I don't think even Agent Mulder managed to get himself in this much hot water in his first year with the Bureau!" He shook the young man's hand and saw him glance nervously at Mulder at the other end of the line-up. He appeared to be gravely worried about Mulder's reaction to Skinner's comment. Skinner squelched a grin and continued. He stepped down the line to stand in front of Agent Scully. "Dana," he said simply. "Thank you. Words can't express . . . how much I appreciate your actions, your courage and your willingness to risk so much." "You're welcome, sir," she replied, her eyes clouding as she spoke. She looked at her feet and swallowed hard. Skinner took a deep breath and stepped to the side again, to face Special Agent Fox Mulder. Mulder had watched the A.D.'s exchanges with Carney and Delaney in amazement. But he'd found himself choking up when Skinner spoke to Scully. He was so pleased to see her singled out for her bravery and the way she stood by her convictions, no matter what the odds. He seemed a little surprised, though, by the sudden appearance of Skinner not twelve inches away from him. Skinner sighed. "Mulder. Can I have my watch back?" The younger agent was stunned at first, by the request, and the laughter that came from the others in line. He blinked and spastically reached for the watch, pulling it off his wrist and handing it to the AD "Thank you, Mulder," Skinner said with . "For everything." He put out his hand and waited a second for Mulder to reach out and take it. Then Skinner pressed his lips together and exhaled forcefully. "You're dismissed," he told them emphatically. For a split second no one moved, then they nearly fell over themselves to get out of the office. As they were filing out, Skinner spoke again. "Agent Mulder, would you stay another minute, please?" Scully looked back over her shoulder and queried her partner silently. He shook his head that he didn't know and she left, closing the door behind her, a curious look in her eyes. Mulder returned to the desk and stood there, waiting for Skinner to speak again. The AD was leaning on his desk, his arms crossed over his chest, a strange look on his face. "Mulder, I'm taking the rest of the day off and driving up to Danville. I'm afraid my parents . . . won't really believe I'm okay until they see it with their own eyes!" Mulder nodded forcefully. "I spoke to them when we thought . . . . They were amazingly strong but it was a devastating blow to them, thinking you were . . . " His voice trailed off as he recalled the hours of uncertainty, of thinking the AD might really be dead. And how devastated he found himself, too. "I know. They told me. They also told me that you told Joe there might be a chance it wasn't true. And that gave them something to hold on to. I'm going up there this morning, Mulder, but they'd like you to come for the weekend. As you might guess, they . . . want to thank you, too--" "They don't owe me any thanks, sir!" Mulder countered immediately. "With everything your family's done for me--" "Mulder, don't argue with me. And you really don't want to argue with my parents, do you? Drive up tomorrow and let them spoil you a little. It'll make them feel better . . . and it'll give me a little reprieve from being smothered by their relief, okay?" Mulder smiled at the thought and nodded. "And one more thing," Skinner said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two tickets. Mulder immediately recognized they were for a Washington Wizards game. His adrenaline shot up as he recalled the Wizards were playing the Knicks that very evening. "I got these two seats for tonight's game, Mulder. Since I'll be out of town, I thought maybe you could ask Agent Delaney to go with you--" "Delaney? Wh-why?" "You really let him have it, Mulder," Skinner said leaning back on his desk. "Deservedly so, no doubt about that. His actions were foolishly irresponsible. He violated more rules and regs on one case than just about anyone in the history of the Bureau. Except you, of course. . . " Mulder pressed his lips together to keep from saying something he'd regret. He could sense where this was going. And he wanted no part of it. "The kid's really worried you're still angry with him. Don't you think it's time to let him know he's forgiven?" Skinner asked him. "Give him a little positive reinforcement now?" Mulder crossed his arms, unwilling to budge. "What if he'd died, sir? Do you know how I would have felt?" "I think I do, Mulder," Skinner said quietly. "I've worried about exactly that for six long years. But it didn't keep me from trying to teach you. And it shouldn't keep you from doing the same for our young Agent Delaney. This is how it's supposed to go. If I pass something of value along to you, you have to pass it on to someone else, when the time is right." Mulder reached up and rubbed his forehead, trying to push off the headache that was forming there. Skinner smothered another grin. He recognized the gesture . . . . and the headache! "Okay," Mulder sighed finally. "I'll take him to the game. . . . I'll even spring for popcorn!" Skinner knew Mulder well enough to know the younger agent would relent completely by the time the first period began. He could hold a grudge, but rarely in the face of the other person, and certainly not in the face of the innocent, unformed Agent Delaney. The Assistant Director handed him the tickets with a smile. "Oh, and one more thing, Mulder. Kim tells me you sent the Accounting Department the longest, most detailed expense variance reports they've ever seen." Mulder turned pink, recognizing that he'd probably misstepped with those reports. Kim had warned him Skinner gave the Finance division the least information possible, never offering more than absolutely necessary. But Mulder been appalled to learn that some clerk in the accounting department questioned expenses for him and Scully and Skinner's other agents with no knowledge of the work they did, or the dangers they faced while doing it. He'd been indignant on all their behalfs and sent the Finance division two variance reports that included every shred of detail he could recall from his meetings with the other agents, to justify the on the spot exceptions they all routinely made just to get the job done. And his memory was prodigious. "I'm sorry about that, sir," he began but Skinner cut him off. "Actually, Kim says they approved every last variance. Didn't even bother to ask for another detail, or disallow even the smallest thing," he said amiably. "It's a miracle! I've decided to put you in charge of the expense variance report for the entire division, Mulder. Congratulations! Someday I know you'll make someone a fine AD, kid!" Mulder nodded numbly and stumbled out of the office, closing the door behind him. He leaned heavily on the other side of the door, to the immediate concern of Skinner's assistant, Kim. "Are you all right, Agent Mulder?" she asked him. He looked at her blankly for a moment, then closed his eyes. "Oh, shit," was all he said. THE END